You can't will your candidate into office

For the record my last words on Round 1 this morning were: "Just because we disagree doesn't mean one of us is stupid". I don’t make a habit of ever characterizing someone as stupid just because they may hold another view.

Just to refresh our final topic on the Round-table: we were talking about what John Tory and Olivia Chow were saying about each other on Tuesday. Panelists were more interested in refuting Chow's talking points against Tory which were 1) he's an elitist and 2) he ran a corporation that a lot of people love to hate. That prompted several panelists to offer that Chow has never worked a day in her life (because being a politician is the highest calling if you're Jim Flaherty and the lowest form of welfare if you are Olivia Chow). They also commented on what a good and decent man Tory is and that there is no shame in being rich. All true. But not necessarily kryptonite to what Chow is selling.

Which is my point. Merely refuting political talking points doesn’t neutralize them in the public square. You could argue all you want that Michael Ignatieff was a smart guy who came home to serve but that never changed the impression that he was a political tourist. Joe Clark was a swell fellow but Trudeau painted him as a klutz and it worked.

I'm not telling you that Chow's attacks on Tory are fair or even correct but there is no disputing they may be effective. It worked against Romney. It worked against Hudak and judging by the polls, whatever Chow is selling is currently retailing for more than what John Tory is selling.

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Much as I plan on voting for John Tory and would love to see him as our next mayor, I must say Olivia Chow is running a stronger campaign. I was in Little Italy for the street festival this weekend and her campaign was handing out World Cup Schedules with a little Chow propaganda. Smart move. I'm looking for Tory to step it up on that front, he needs to come across much more as a man of the people.

John, I heard you loud and clear and agree that the point you were making was very valid and important. I like John Tory and think he'd make a fine mayor and appreciate the business experience and public service he has accumulated. That's all well and fine but Olivia's attacks appear powerful. hopefully not as powerful as Ford's somehow compelling attributes that got him elected. huh?

@david
Ford supporters were venomous in their defence until the truth set us free! Tory used to work for Newstalk & Rogers and the hosts are clearly Anti Chow especially Agar; who thinks people who did not vote for Hudak are greedy OR stupid?!

Tory=Smarttrack which has potential to work and aid Scarborough subway.Chow=cancel Scarborough subway, automatically alienating that part of Toronto and yet leads polls.The whole GTA is confusing, handing Liberal majority or minority governments for too many years now, and a solid PC majority at federal level, and a very Tory mayor last round. When I last lived in Toronto Ford was my councilor and I voted him in, as he always paid $8 for stamps while Mammolitti spent $45000 on neighbourhood BBQs and such. Pre Ford was a very NDP mayor of Miller, yet when Jack Layton ran they voted in Police Services Chair June Rowlands. The entire area is a conundrum. I voted for Miller as councilor in his riding around that time.I understand some listeners' opinions that the station is pro-Tory as he was a former colleague and a likeable man in person. Agar despite being obviously Conservative actually told him not to run. Tory may be good at many things, and being a mayor could be one of them, but his campaign seems to always be a step behind. As good as Smarttrack can be, there are many unanswered questions about how it will operate. Will it be Presto fare, GO fare, or TTC fare? It's on GO Tracks so how does that play out logistically. Will it run like GO inbound mornings and outbound afternoons? Or like a subway in both directions and where does it switch tracks to that? It's a pretty picture, an ambitious timeline, and likely to require 3 levels of funding, despite costing less than Scarborough extension. Will Metrolinx swallow the TTC to prevent the 3 fare boondoggle, and add YRT? I did drive, I still have to drive to Downsview, but TTC is half my commute these days, and any option to improve it, helps my view. We need to go back to the days when subways expanded more often, or when the Bloor viaduct bridge was built 50 odd years ahead of a subway it was meant to hold.

@Joe Guppy
Further to the above, let me give you one of my favourite quotes from Isaac Asimov"

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”

So, just because you HAVE a different opinion, doesn't mean I need to treat it with the same weight as mine. A good example of this is so-called "Christian Science", and climate change deniers. They have all sorts of different opinions, but those opinions should never be considered to be on the same level as actual scientific fact. But, for some people, they are...